"And YHVH spoke to Moses in the wilderness…"
(emphasis added), are the opening words of the Torah's fourth book, Bamidbar
(Numbers). In this first verse, YHVH is "speaking" – "va’ydaber"
– “in the wilderness" - "ba-midbar" - both words
originating from the same multifaceted root - d.v.r (dalet, bet/vet,
resh). Let us examine this root and
follow it to several unexpected places.
“In the beginning was the word (davar), and the word (davar) was with
Elohim, and Elohim was the word (“davar”)… And the word (davar) became flesh
and lived among us…” (John 1:1,14). Davar is the spoken word, the
all-powerful utterance that creates or generates everything, while “thing”
is also "davar". Thus,
all "things" appear to be the results of that which has been
"said" or "spoken".
In the Tanach, many terms, such as lies, wisdom, falsehood, truth, and
more, are preceded by “d’var” – meaning “thing of….” indicating that the
origin of all things is the ‘utterance’.
Davar is that which proceeds out of the mouth of Elohim, and is
therefore "the Word of Elohim".
“Matters” or “business” are also “davar” (or “dvarim” in plural form),
as we see for example in Shmot (Exodus) 5:13, 19: “Fulfill your works, your –
dvarim - daily tasks" (emphasis added), and in Shoftim (Judges)
18:7, reference is made to the Danites who “… had no – dvarim - business
with any man” (emphasis added). Terms
such as “deeds" (Jer. 5:28, speaking of "deeds of the
wicked") are also “dvarim”. "Reason, motives, customs"
(“the custom of the king” in Esther 1:13) also fall within the framework
of “davar”. The literal rendering for
“after the order of Malchitzedek” (ref. Ps. 110:4), is “upon my divra,
Malchitzedek”, that is, “upon my word”. The form “divra” illustrates
the depth and scope of “davar”, which may be also rendered as an “order, pattern,
type, or prototype". Hence, the “Ten Commandments” - “aseret ha-d’varim” -
are “the ten words” or “things”, or “matters” (Ex. 34:28; Deut. 4:13, 10:4.
Notice, none of these terms are related to “commandments” or “laws”).
From this point let us venture further a-field to “dever”, which
is "plague", or “pestilence”. Although this abrupt transition may seem curious,
it is consistent with many such disparities found in the Tanach. If we remember that "davar" also
means "cause", then the "plague", or "dever",
illustrates the principle that “the curse causeless/without reason shall not
come” (Prov. 26:2). Indeed, time after
time the plague is the result of rebellion against Elohim, as in the case of
the plagues of
"Subdue” or "destroy" stem, once again, from
the root d.v.r, with its infinitive “le’hadbir”. In T’hilim (Psalms) 18:47 we find, for
example: “Elohim… subdues the people under me” (emphasis added). This
verb also means “to expel or send away, " such as
sending off the flock to pasture or the desert.
Thus, in Mi’cha (Micah) 2:12 the flocks are seen in the midst of their “hidabar”,
which is translated as "fold" or "pasture".
The "subdued" enemy (or the sinner), therefore, is often “pursued",
"sent away", or “driven” to the "wilderness" or
"desert" - "midbar".
But just as the wilderness may turn out to be a place of “pasture” for
the flocks, it may also become a place of repentance and spiritual refreshing
to those fleeing (or forced) there. In the “midbar’s” stillness there are many
opportunities to hear the voice of YHVH sounding His Word. The Bible records an
impressive list of those who can attest to this fact.
Another place where YHVH’s voice is heard is in the Holy of Holies
(or “inner sanctuary”), which in Solomon’s Temple is called Dvir (ref. 1st
Kings 6:16). Dvir is the furthest and
innermost place within the
In summation, the Word, as epitomized by the Son of Elohim, is life-giving,
but rejecting Him (the "Davar") may result in a plague
(“dever”), which subdues and drives ("madbir")
one to the desert ("midbar"), there to be spoken
to ("daber") by the Living Word ("Davar")
Who utters the Word of Truth ("dvar emet") in His inner
sanctuary, or the holiest place (dvir). “And I will woo her to Me in the
wilderness…” we read in Hoshe’ah (Hosea) 2:14. D.v.r teaches us why it was
essential for the Israelites, on their road to becoming a nation, to experience
a wilderness journey.
Chapters 1 and 2 of Bamidbar describe the formation of the congregation
of Yisrael’s encampment, for the purpose of a census (cf. Ex. 30:11-16).
However, on the previous occasion (in Exodus) each of them had to “give a
ransom for his soul to YHVH while numbering them” (which was of one-half shekel
that was used for the Mishkan), here they are not required to do so.
"Lift the heads of all the congregation
of the sons of Israel, by their families, by their fathers' houses, according
to the number of names, every male, by their skulls” (literal
translation, Num. 1:2 emphasis added). Notice that, the counting is referred to as “lifting of
the heads”. "Nahmanides emphasizes that the
census was personal and individual… impressing on us the value and sterling
worth of each and every soul which is a unique specimen of divine creativity
and a world of its own". In the
same vein, Isaac Arama says: "They were not just like animals or material
objects, but each one had an importance of his own like a king or a
priest. Indeed Elohim had shown special
love towards them and this is the significance of mentioning each one of them
by name and status; for they were all equal and individual in
status".[1] Yeshua’s death, for each and every man (ref. Heb. 2:9) on the Hill of
"Golgota", which is Aramaic for "skull",
lends even greater credence to the above statements.
In Hebrew Insights into Parashat Shmot (Ex. 1-6:1) we noted that as soon
as the Egyptians embarked on their program of subjugating the Hebrews, they began
treating them as a nameless mass (ref. Ex. 1:10-12), while also condemning to
death the baby boys (Ex. 1:16). This is in striking contrast to what we
encounter in Bamidbar chapter
When the roll call was completed and the Levites' duties in the Mishkan
were dispensed, "YHVH spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying: 'Everyone of the
children of
The "emblems", mentioned
above in 2:2, are "otot" (plural, and "ot"
singular). "Ot" (take note of its spelling, alef, vav, tav)
is a widely used term, denoting "sign, token,
pledge, assurance, miracle, omen" and more. Although we do not know what the banners
looked like, it appears that each of them had the "ot", or sign, of a
particular "father's house", thus rendering each tribe much like a family
related to a single progenitor.
Concerning the grouping around the Mishkan,
which was in the midst of the camp, Nahmanides says in relation to this edifice:
“It was a kind of Mount Sinai on which the Torah was given, accompanying them
on all their journeying”. Benno Jacob follows up this idea: “The Lord
transferred His presence from Sinai to the Tabernacle, from the sanctuary of
the Lord which His hands had established to the sanctuary which Israel
had made'"2 This may account
for the strict orders of the camp's formation.
The orders mentioned above, regarding the tribes and their placements,
excluded the Levites who were to serve in the Mishkan, and were to be at YHVH's
disposal. In the course of the detailed description of their duties and
responsibilities for the various parts of the Mishkan, mention is made of the
edifice’s sides (Num. 3:29, 35). The Hebrew word here for “side” is “yarech”,
of the root y.r.ch (yod, resh, kaf/chaf), meaning “thigh, loin or base”. The
thigh represents man’s strength and power (see Gen. 24:2; 47:29), both in terms
of virility and force (being also the place upon which the sword was placed).
That is why for Ya’acov to become Yisrael he was so injured that he
limped on it (Gen. 32:31), and likewise, the repentant one, who to demonstrate
his true intentions smites this part of his body (e.g., Jer. 31:19, Ephraim’s
repentance). Similar to the root d.v.r. in some of its uses, “yarech” also refers
to the “furthermost point”, to the “backside” or to the “rear” (Jud. 19:1, Is.
14:15), and hence the application to “side”.
The vicarious role of the Levites as firstborn follows in Bamidbar 3:41, 45. It says about their required conduct that, they were to be
taken “instead” or “in place of all the firstborn among the sons of
Chapter 4 elucidates how the chosen family of K'hat (Kohath) was to
dismantle the Mishkan when it was time to move on. During this awesome procedure, they had to
restrain themselves and avert their gaze from the holy articles, with the help
of A'haron and his sons (vs 19, 20). "They shall not go in to see the holy things
as they are being covered, lest they die", is the Parasha's last verse,
which literally says, "And they shall not go in to see, at the swallowing
of the holy things [lest] they die". The usage here of "swallow"
("bela") for "covering" the Mishkan articles is very
unusual. It may be alluding to the fact that an unwarranted gaze could bring
upon the onlookers (that is, the members of the K'hat clan) the penalty of
being swallowed alive (a form of punishment which was sometimes inflicted –
supernaturally - upon offenders, such as in the case of Korah in Num.
16:30-34). Thus, A'haron’s family was being charged with responsibility for the
lives of their brothers, the K'hats, whose "keepers" they were to be.
1
New Studies in Bamidbar, Nechama Leibowitz, trans. Aryeh
Newman.
Eliner Library, Department for Torah Education and
Culture
in the Diaspora. Hemed Books Inc.,
2 Ibid
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